Landlubber Mike

Don't count on it Mike.
 
They may someday leave your residence but never your responsibility. This year will make 51 years of residence kids for me. The youngest turns 13 next month and I figure I will probably die before he gets out of the house!
 
I agree with the others though. I think you are well overdue for an inventory check and insurance photos, (In case of loss you know) then you will need to post the pictures so that there is proof of their existence. I promise I will not tell your wife......... Unless you have something I really want!😈 

Right then   -  I masked  her  according to the Black scheme I have gone for, then  outdoors   I  got  my Semi-Glass  Black  Tamiya rattle can out  - did what  the Pros  suggested  (sat the can in some hot - not boiling water in a cup)   this is supposed to improve the flow from the can.
 
Dear  I show you .............
 
OC.

Yes, MSW needs to add a warning label to Craig's and other build logs on here.  I went from not having done a plastic kit since a kid to now having a bunch stacked up on a shelf - ships, planes, and now cars.  

You're doing a really nice job on it.  Great work!  
 
I'm with you on the PE.  My introduction has been working on a 1/700 destroyer with a full PE detail set.  Stupid me, but for some reason I thought that 1/700 would be better introduction since the kit and PE set were cheaper than a a similar 1/350 kit, but I didn't realize the pieces would be that small.  Optivisor is a must as the parts are practically microscopic, and you better not sneeze!  I think I'm getting the hang of it though.  When I start with 1/350, the PE might look much bigger (though they probably have similarly sized extreme detail pieces).

Yes, MSW needs to add a warning label to Craig's and other build logs on here.  I went from not having done a plastic kit since a kid to now having a bunch stacked up on a shelf - ships, planes, and now cars.  

Very cool model - love the set up against the picture.  Well done!

If you saw how many hours I spent fumbling around with things, it wouldn't have looked too easy   But thank you for the kind words.  
 
I have to say that while dealing with gunport strips on Caldercraft, Amati and other kits can be a little of a pain, in the end they are much easier to deal with than cutting out your own.  It might have been a lot easier if the bulkheads were arranged in such a way (and quantity) that the gunport fit equidistant between bulkheads, but that wasn't the case with this kit. 

Finally finished the first planking of the lower hull.  Ended up coming out really nicely I think - I might not have to use any filler at all, except maybe around the stern area with that turn up into the counter.  I still need to clean up a bit around the stern and bow, which I'll need to do by hand, but I used a palm sander outside today to sand the planking down.  Wow, does that make life much easier!  Was so quick to sand the hull, I still remember doing the Badger by hand and it taking forever.  
 
I'm now a big convert to bow and stern filler blocks, they really help!  A big thank you to Pete who suggested using them in his build notes.  One thing I started wondering is whether even if you're doing a POB kit, whether just adding filler blocks through the full area such that you don't even have to bother with a first planking would be quicker and easier than going through the first planking, sanding, filling, etc., and then adding the second (essentially, converting it to a solid hull).  Guess it depends how easy it is for the person to do filler blocks.
 
Some pictures of where I am:



One issue that has been bothering me is the fact that the kit provided different wood for the stem/rudder versus that for the keel.  The stem/rudder I believe is walnut, and the keel might be ramin.  The color difference between the two is too striking for my liking:

 
I was originally thinking of painting the lower hull white which would have made this a non-issue, but given how far I'm pushing on this build, I think I'm going to leave the hull natural.  I don't want to chance using a stain to even the colors out, because then I would have to use stain on the planking itself which leads to more chance of something looking out of place.  So, instead, I think I'm going to buy new wood for the stem, rudder, and lower hull planking.  I dropped the hull while planking it a while back and the stem snapped right off, so I think taking it off again should be ok.  The keel is a bit of a different story because I drilled the pedestal holes into it, and it's secured into the false keel by brass rod.  So, what I'll likely do is laminate the keel with thin walnut, and then maybe try darkening the very bottom a bit to avoid any oddities (people shouldn't really be able to see the bottom of the keel though).  Going this route will also be helpful in that I think I would like to spile the full hull as a challenge to myself (for my Pegasus, I only spiled planks up to the copper plating line.
 
Jason from Crown Timberyard is back up and running and has been very helpful in answering some of my questions. He sells both a dark walnut and mahogany.  I want the upper hull to be lighter in color than the lower hull, and I found a nice lighter cherry veneer that should do nicely.  I'm leaning towards using Jason's walnut over the mahogany as I think the colors will work better together.  Mahogany looks beautiful, but as a chocolate/orange/rich brown, I don't think that using cherry for the upper hull will work well.  Walnut and cherry though seem to complement each other nicely, at least what I've seen in other build logs.  Certainly welcome to any thoughts, ideas or suggestions!
 
Next, I'm thinking of working on the gun deck - planking, hatches, etc.  A nice respite before having to go back to planking the hull.

You're doing a really nice job on it.  Great work!  
 
I'm with you on the PE.  My introduction has been working on a 1/700 destroyer with a full PE detail set.  Stupid me, but for some reason I thought that 1/700 would be better introduction since the kit and PE set were cheaper than a a similar 1/350 kit, but I didn't realize the pieces would be that small.  Optivisor is a must as the parts are practically microscopic, and you better not sneeze!  I think I'm getting the hang of it though.  When I start with 1/350, the PE might look much bigger (though they probably have similarly sized extreme detail pieces).

Making some really good progress there Mark.  Very nice job!

If you saw how many hours I spent fumbling around with things, it wouldn't have looked too easy   But thank you for the kind words.  
 
I have to say that while dealing with gunport strips on Caldercraft, Amati and other kits can be a little of a pain, in the end they are much easier to deal with than cutting out your own.  It might have been a lot easier if the bulkheads were arranged in such a way (and quantity) that the gunport fit equidistant between bulkheads, but that wasn't the case with this kit. 

Thanks for everyone that offered thoughts on what to do with the last bulkhead.  I ended up adding two planking strips to it, then fairing the bulkhead back to the original line on the aft side.  Seems to have worked very well - I now have a firm, wider surface to glue the end of the planks to, while having a nice smooth transition to the stern.
 

Yes, MSW needs to add a warning label to Craig's and other build logs on here.  I went from not having done a plastic kit since a kid to now having a bunch stacked up on a shelf - ships, planes, and now cars.  

Very cool model - love the set up against the picture.  Well done!

Making some really good progress there Mark.  Very nice job!

Very cool model - love the set up against the picture.  Well done!

You're doing a really nice job on it.  Great work!  
 
I'm with you on the PE.  My introduction has been working on a 1/700 destroyer with a full PE detail set.  Stupid me, but for some reason I thought that 1/700 would be better introduction since the kit and PE set were cheaper than a a similar 1/350 kit, but I didn't realize the pieces would be that small.  Optivisor is a must as the parts are practically microscopic, and you better not sneeze!  I think I'm getting the hang of it though.  When I start with 1/350, the PE might look much bigger (though they probably have similarly sized extreme detail pieces).

You're doing a really nice job on it.  Great work!  
 
I'm with you on the PE.  My introduction has been working on a 1/700 destroyer with a full PE detail set.  Stupid me, but for some reason I thought that 1/700 would be better introduction since the kit and PE set were cheaper than a a similar 1/350 kit, but I didn't realize the pieces would be that small.  Optivisor is a must as the parts are practically microscopic, and you better not sneeze!  I think I'm getting the hang of it though.  When I start with 1/350, the PE might look much bigger (though they probably have similarly sized extreme detail pieces).

Hope everyone is enjoying 2020.  With the holidays, work, and a diversion into plastic models, I haven't been devoting as much time recently to the LAR.  I did manage to line out the gunports on the gun deck level.  
 
All I can say is this took forever!  The gunport patterns on other European kits like Caldercraft and Amati are a godsend.  Given that there are 14 gunports per side, I thought it was important that there be smooth line to the ports, that they be square, and that they be even with each other.  Hopefully the pictures below show clearly my particular method.  Essentially, I spent many hours marking out the 10mmx10mm gunports by transferring measurements from the plans, drilled a 2mm hole in the center, and ran a brass rod through to make sure that the gunports on either side were square to each other and level with one another.  Then after cutting out the 10mmx10mm gunports, I ran a square 10mmx10mm through to make sure that everything was still lined up.
 
Since I'm lining the ports, i went ahead with adding 2mmx2mm sills, opening the gunports to 14mmx14mm.  This was fairly easy using a micromotor with a small cut off wheel.  The cut off wheel made for quick, straight work.  The sills ultimately will be about 1mm, so I have an extra 1mm to overlap them with the second outer hull planking.
 
I'm using padouk that I picked up from Woodcraft.  It's an interesting wood - nice color (though will dull to an orange-brown over time, interesting smell when worked, and machines fairly easily.  It does have pits in it like mahogany, but these fill up pretty nicely when sanded.  Hopefully when I apply a finish there will be no visible pits.  You have to be careful with the dust as it can be an irritant, so I worked using a respirator and a shop vac going at all times.  It also can stain very light wood, so you have to be a little careful with that as well.
 
To get ready for the inner bulwark planking, I decided to remove most of the gunport-level bulkhead frames.  That was not at all easy but took lots of micromotor work.  I was a bit nervous doing so, but I had rubbed PVA all over the first planking which kept the planking very stable.
 
Next up will either be the inner bulwark planking or the exterior planking.  Given that the interior bulwark planking will largely be invisible, I might start with it, so that when I do the outer hull planking, clamping and pinning issues might be easier to deal with.





 

 

 

 

I have come to the irrevocable conclusion that I officially HATE PHOTO ETCH!😈 It is evil stuff invented by sadistic perfectionist rivet counters to scalp us normal humans of our hard earned cash while humiliating us at the same time!
 
There, I got that off my chest! I have spent the last few days trying to follow pretty much non existent instructions to attach mostly almost invisible little gold colored parts so that when the time comes they can be buried within the fuselage never to be seen again! It started with the cabin support columns that were missing from the kit altogether and in my typical OCD manner could not stand! The more I saw that they were not there the more it bothered me. SOOOOOOOOOOOO out came the wallet and another purchase went out over the Ethernet and the mailman found me stalking him yet again waiting for the package to arrive. The only answer to the problem was to buy a photo etch set that was not designed for this kit but for the Huey C model in 1/35th scale. As the D and H models were pretty much just stretched Cs I figured I could make it work.
 
When the sheets arrived I was truly shocked! Along with the few parts I needed there were other parts that could be used to assemble all kinds of other parts of the cabin as well! A great many of these parts are microscopic in size. Try a seat belt buckle in 1/35th scale! Or better yet the buttons located not only on the pilot's collective stick but the even smaller panel on the co-pilot's collective. We are talking about stuff that in real life is smaller than a pack of cigarettes! They expect you to assemble the foot pedals from 12 micro sized pieces that not only would have to be assembled to each other, but in some cases formed into the proper shape! I will gladly send the parts to anyone who wishes to to perform an act of masochism in their spare time!
 
So I started out with the eight pieces that were supplied to make up EACH column. The first little piece of course went flying from my tweezers never to be found again! My VERY FIRST SMALL PIECE. No fear though, this was going to become one of the modeling practices I was going to become proficient in over the next few days. In fact if it didn't fly, it broke, or just dropped while the glue was drying. In fact just about any modeling torture the demonic piece could think of tended to happen. And if I did get it glued in place properly then it would just get knocked off when I was trying to install the next part.
 
Eventually I was able not only to get the columns installed but finally the armor for the pilots seats and the foot rests and cabin floor extension in the main cockpit, along with a few small knobs and things that I just installed because by that time I was beginning to enjoy the pain! 
 
So here are my meager efforts. I know it looks pretty much like pure rubbish, but I am hoping the next step of painting and of course the eventual fact that almost all of this will be encased with a helicopter body will cover much of my learning efforts!
 
First off the cabin support columns. They were not exactly like the columns I remembered as all I remember are round holes but after altering them to fit they were vastly superior to anything I could have made and I was happy. 

    
Then there was the torture test of the cockpit. AFTER MANY hours of work this is what I have come up with. As I used the after market center console I did not need to apply the other fifteen or sixteen pieces if detailing that had been intended for the less detailed kit console. I had to finally invent my own method of installing the armor plates but the result even though a little more banged up than when I started is still better and more accurate than what was supplied in the kit. It would have been a snap if the designers had not insisted on a design that required a half dozen small parts with minimal gluing surface!
   

So now that I have shown the crappy "before" pictures I wail be painting over all of my efforts and hopefully convert the sows ear into at least a canvas purse if not a silk purse. At least I hope so. Then I will at least have to install the pilot's bodies to properly position the seats and peddles. When that is done then I will probably have to remove the foot rests and place them in the proper location for the pilots feet. Then it will be back into second class, the padded cell area, and all of the seating there.
 
Thanks for looking in. Hopefully the next update will not take so long.  

The final wagon in this set - a Beer Wagon :









 
Unfortunately this may be my last model - I don't know how many of you are aware but I've had cancer for the past 6 years, and it's progressed to the stage where they can no longer do anything for me. The pain in my lower back has been getting so severe lately that I'm finding it nearly impossible to sit at my workbench for longer than an hour or so at a time before I need to take a long break. In addition the pain medication I'm now on makes me extremely drowsy and I sleep for most of the day.
 
Thank you to everyone on this wonderful forum for the friendship over the years, and to all those who followed my many builds. I'm making this my goodbye.
 
Danny

I have worked out what scheme I am going for  - it will be the pathfinders  night version  -
 
Like this one i found on the net.
 
OC.

Hi all, a good day today   I did the kind of work  where you feel  your not getting very far - but in fairness  a fair bit was actually done,   starting with the undercarriage units  I painted therm  flat alum  then I put them aside to dry  -  then I  added a couple of coats of paint to the wheels,  after drying with a hairdryer  I then highlighted them to bring out the tread details  - after I painted the hubs  flat alum.
I then studied my idea for extending the front units as the Revell ones  sit to low,   I dry fitted the two engine cowl units  and worked out  how the undercarriage  sits in place, its is a tight space in there  and the legs needed to go in at an angle to fit,  I then worked out if I used a  1-2mm strip  glued it it  and bored a couple of holes  - it  kind of did the trick.   They are not fitted yet  just dry fitted   as there is a system  where the whole wing needs assembling first  - but the flaps also need  assembling and fitting as they are movable surfaces,  this all needs doing before the  engine cowl/undercarriage units can be fitted together.
 
I also  worked on the inside section of the wing  that will be in view  - like the inner groves when the flaps are dropped  - also  the rads  in the wings were painted then fitted  inside the one section of the wing.
 
OC.

More added to the undercarriage units  including the mud guards  and oil tanks.
 
OC.

While the fuselage is drying  I checked the instructions  - they call for the main undercarriage units to be made  -  they are made up from  two side units  and a few other smaller  sections  - its a case of gluing  then supporting  while they  glue,   then  when complete again  support and put on one side.
 
OC.